Folding square



Patented May 1, 1928 PATENT OFFICE,

' Larson. s'rnvnns, or JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

FOLDING sauna.

. 'My present invention relates to a folding square."

The V purpose this invention is I provide a folding square of novel and improved 6 construction and particularly. one which is simple and economical in construction and very durable rigid and. colrvcnientin use.

Further-purposes are to provide a folding square wherein the. arm is permanently con 'nected tothe bod portion of the square so. as to avoid 'misp acement of the parts and to halve the'arm and body connected by a mortise and .tenon joint whereby thearni may be slid into rigid attachment 'OlillQllIlGC- tion with the body member of thesquareand held in such position withoutdependence upon any fastening member or pivoting member and yet to allow the tenon to be sufficiently withdrawn from the n'iort-ise so as to allow the arm to swing towards the body of the square with the arm purallelrto and adjacent to thebody member; to provide a folding square wherein: the engaging surfaces are of considerableextent and. do not depend upon wedging' action for the fit of the parts and do not require any third members or movable P211185 springs or o'ther devices to maintain the twomember's of the square in working position; further toprovide a device of the. type mentioned where an additional locking member maybe. and preferablywill be provided, such-locking member however,'o 3erating simply to prevent detachmentof the parts and not being necessa-ry to maintain the parts at a right angles/C, I

Fig. 1 a'plan View; of a'squarc embody ing my invention with a portion of the body member.cutawayat the joint to more clearly show the construction the parts hein shown in full lines in extended or working position and showing in dotted lines. the posi tion ofthe arm after it has been slid straight out from holding position relative to the mortise of=the body member. i r

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in folded position.

Fig. 3 is an edge viewlookingat the left band edge of the body member as shown in Fig.1.

Fig.- 4 is a Fig. a

Fig. 5 .Fig. 1. 1 55 ig. fi is'a top edge view of the joint portion of the device looking at, the topof the sectionalview on :line 4--1t of isa sectional view on limit-+5 of Application filed November 20, 1924. Serial No. 751,110.

parts as'seen in Fig. 1, the arm being in locked position.

Fi 7. a view similar ing thearm after its tenon has been moved from holding position in the mortise of the body member, but before the arm has been swung from its position at a right angleto the body member. v j f Referrlngto, the drawings in a more par ticular description it will be seen that I to Fig. 6 but showhaveshown my invention embodied ina carpenters square composed of a larger or body member 10 and a smaller or arm member 11 which is adapted to be extended at a right angle to the bodymember orto be folded closely parallel and adjacent thereto.

l referably both members will be, thicker at the joint ends than at the other ends of the respective members with said members tapering down to be thinner at the farther endfas plainly indicated in Figs. ti to T. This construction is common now in rigid carpenter squares and admits of having sufficient thickness of material in both members of thesquare at the joint end in the case ofa jointed square. 1

At the. joint endof the arm member there is provided a tenon 12 composed oftwo parts and 14. Theportion 13 is the extreme end of the arm-proper and the portion 11 is an irregular shaped ear extending later; ally from portion 13 as plainly shown in. Figs. 1 and 2. I V :In the preferred form of my construction and as shown in. the drawings herein the tenon,12,isthinner than the adjacent portion of. the arm leaving a square shoulder 15 on both sides of the arm as more plainly indicated in Figs. 6 and 7 The end corner of thearm portion .13 of the tenon 12 opposite the ear portion 141s cut. away forming a reentering right angle leavinga shoulder 16 preferabl parallel to the two working edges 17 and 18 of the arm and leaving a shoulder 19 preferably at right angles to said working edges.

In the ear portion 14 of the tenon there is provided an elongated slot 20 extending from the end2l of thetenon.

llO

curved portion 23 being practically a. quarter circle and extending to the arm proper at joint 24 being the junction between the part 13 of the tenon and the shoulder 15,

The joint end of the larger or body portion 11 of the square has provided therein a. closed or four-sided mortise 25. This is made by forming a slot crosswise of the member and extending from edge to edge thereof with the opposite leaf portions being however connected at the extreme end of the body b a block portion 28 at the outer corner 0 the body, that is the corner away from the projecting arm 11. This block portion is rectangular in cross section as seen in Fig. 1 and of a size exactly. fitting the cut out portion formed by shoulders 16 and 19 of the arm. Upon the block 28 the face or shoulder 29 engages the shoulder 16 of the arm when the arm is in working position and the face 30 of the block 28 engages the shoulder 19 of the arm when the parts of the square are in working position.

'Through the mortise portion of the body opposite the elongated slot 20 otthe arm there is fixed av pivot pin 31 which extends through the said slot 20.

It will now be seen that when the parts are assembled and placed in working position the tenon 12 has the full extent of both faces of its portions 13 and 14 in the mortise 25 between the leaves 26 and 27 of the body member and that the parts are retained at right angles by reason of the engagement of shoulder 16 of the arm engaging shoulder 29 of the block 28 on one side of said tenon while the other side of said tenon has the extended straight edge 22 of the ear resting throughout its length against the bottom 32 of the mortise slot 25 which shoulder is at the base of the two leaves 26 and 27. a

The parts are further held at this right angle position by means of the pin 31 closely engaging opposite long sides of the slot 20. By reason of the arrangement and wide distribution and the great extent of contact surface provided the tool is now perfectly rigid and does not depend upon auxiliary fastening means, s rings, clamps or other contrivances to hol the arm at right angles to the body member. By making the parts accurately the arm will remain in this position during use or handling without the necessity of auxiliary looking or fastenmg means.

To fold the tool the arm 11 is drawn lengthwise of itself or atright angles from the body 10 as allowed by the elongated slot 20 until the parts come to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this position it will be seen thatthe shoulder 16 is entirely disengaged from the shoulder 29 of the bldck 28 and that the unoccupied portion of the elongated slot 20 is at the right clear of shoulder 29 of the block 28 amt secondly through the clearance allowed by the curved edge 23 on theslot end of the ear 14 relative to the bottom 32 of'thc.

mortise slot.

To reassemble the parts into working position the arm 11 is swung out from the p osi tion shown in Fig. 2 to a position; at rlght 10 bringangles to the body 10 which is the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; then the arm 11 is ushed towards the body 10 during whic h motion the pin 31 slides through slot 20 and the shoulder 16 slides along shoulder 29. until the shoulder19, engages shoulder 30. andstops the parts at working position. At this working position also it will be noted that the shoulders 15 from the thickened ion of the. arm 11 engage the adjacent of the leaves 26 and 27 on either side of the mortise.

As means for positively locking the arm 11 in working position andpreventing the said arm from accidentally sliding or loosening from working position to the inter.- mediate position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, I provide a locking pin 33. This is a pin mainly circular in cross section project-in through a round hole 34 provided in the be y near the bottom 32 of the mortise with said hole being mostl thatis more than half, in the solid portion of the body and extending slightly into the leaf ortions 26 and 27. As shown in. Fig. t this pin is mounted and retained in the tool by said pin having its opposite ends slightly enlarged and resting in correspondingly countersunk portions of. the opposite faces of the body 10. This may be readily accomplished by having the head and formed with such an enlargement and having. the opposite end spread or riveted out into the countersink after the pin is in place. One end of the pin is rovided with a transversely extending sl dt 35 allowing the pin 20 pe turned by a screwdriver or a. similar One side of the central portion of the pin opposite the mortise 251i]! be cut away forming a recess 36 of such extent so that when this recess is tuned towards the mortise 25 the bottom of said recess will be flush with the bottom 32 oi the mortise as plainly indicated in Fig. 2. With the pin in this position it will be seen that the arm 11 may he slid into worki-n g position or slipped from working position to intermediate position without interference from, said pin. Opposite the pin 33 there is provided in the straight edge 22 of the ear "14 when the arm 11 is in working position an arcuate bottomed notch 37 allowing the pin 33 to be rotated from the position shown in Fig, 2 more or less to the osition shown in Fig. l w7ith the'pin extending into the said notch It will now be obvious that the pin in this position positively locks thearm in its work-- ing position by preventing the arm from being slid outwardly from the body member 10. It will be noticed, however, that any angular strain incident to using the tool will fall uponthe solid portions of the body and arm and not simply upon the pin 33. WVhen it is desired to fold the squarethe pin will be rotated from the position shown in F ig. 1 tothe position shown in Fi .72 and the arm then moved to intermed late position and then to folded position as already described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a folding square the combination of a body member having at one end a slot extending transversely from the inner and arm-receiving edge face and terminating near the outer edge face in a mortise with its opposing end faces at right angles to the edge face of said body member, an arm member having one end of greater width than the main portion of said arm and sliding in said slot and reduced at its end to slidingly fit into said mortise and hold the arm at a right angle to the body, the portion of the arm projecting beyond the working edge of the arm being provided with an elongated slot extending lengthwise of the arm, and

a pivot pin mounted in the'slotted part of the body member and projecting t rough said slot in the arm whereby the arm is permanently connected to the bod member and may have its said reduced en slid into said mortise or withdrawn therefrom sufficiently to fold said arm parallel with and adjacent to the body member.

2. In a folding square the combination of a body member av tending transversely from the inner and arm-receiving edge face and terminating the arm, and a pivot pin mounted in the slotted part of the body member and pro'ecting through said slot in the arm where y the arm is permanently connected tothe body member and may have its said reduced end slid into said mortise or withdrawn therefrom sufliciently to fold said arm parallel with and adjacent to the body member and means for locking the arm in working position, said means comprising a spool with a flattened side rotatably mounted in the body adjacent the bottom of said slot and opposite a shallow rounded recess provided in the opposing edge of the arm whereby the placing of the flattened side of the spool in line with said recess allows the arm to be withdrawn and placing the rounded side of said spool into said recess locks the arm from being withdrawn'from said mortise.

In witness whereof I have afiixed my signature, this 31st day of October, 1924. ARTHUR STEVENS.

ing at one end a slot ex- 

